What happened
On 1 August 2018, a Piper PA-31 operated by Aries Aviation International was conducting an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight from Penticton Airport, British Columbia, to Calgary/Springbank Airport, Alberta. The aircraft, registration C-FNCI, had recently finished two hours of aerial survey operations near Penticton and was cruising at 15,000 feet above sea level.
While positioned roughly 40 nautical miles southwest of Calgary/Springbank Airport, air traffic controllers instructed the pilot to descend to 13,000 feet and reduce the airspeed to 150 knots. During this phase of flight, the pilot noted that the right engine was producing less power than the left engine. Approximately 90 seconds after this power discrepancy was noted, the aircraft lost controlled flight at an altitude of roughly 13,500 feet.
At 13:36 Mountain Daylight Time, the aircraft struck terrain near the summit of Mount Rae. The impact resulted in a brief explosion and fire. The two occupants on board, the pilot and a survey technician, sustained two fatalities.
Findings
Following the collision, an emergency locator transmitter signal was detected by the Canadian Mission Control Centre, which alerted the Trenton Joint Rescue Coordination Centre. Search and rescue teams reached the crash site approximately one hour after the accident occurred. The primary factor noted during the descent was a power imbalance between the engines.